Obstacle toy

ABSTRACT

An obstacle toy lets objects fall through a succession of barriers between a top compartment and a bottom compartment when movable shutters in each barrier are properly manipulated. The barriers have upper and lower portals that can receive and discharge an object, and the path between the portals is blocked by a shutter having a recess that is moved between registry with the portals so an object can fall from an upper portal into the recess and be moved to drop through the lower portal.

( July 24, 1973 10/197] 273/153 RX H1928 Tapio......... 273/144 A 10/1951 46/43 ABSTRACT 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Attorney-Cumpston, Shaw & Stephens An obstacle toy lets objects fall through a succession of barriers between a top compartment and a bottom compartment when movable shutters in each barrier are properly manipulated. The barriers have upper and lower portals that can receive and discharge an object, and the path between the portals is blocked by a shutter having a recess that is moved between registry with the portals'so an object can fall from an upper portal into the recess and be moved to drop through the lower portal.

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0 United States Patent [1 1 icani OBSTACLE TOY Inventor: Norman Fabrieanl, Rego Park,

Chicago, 111.

Filed: Mar. 20, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 236,320

[51] Int. Cl. 273/1l0,113,115,120 R, 153 R; 46/43 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,592,471 7/1971 Swimmer et 2,625,396 1/1953 Frechtmann........ D209,767 1/1968 Kohner et al.... 2,003,979 6/1935 Fabr [73] Assignee: The Quaker Oats Company,

[58] Field of Search....................

1 OBSTACLE roY THE INVENTIVE IMPROVEMENT Obstacle toys are generally known for moving a set of marbles downward through barriers in various ways requiring various manipulations. The invention involves recognition of the basic appeal of such a toy and proposes more interesting and variable manipulations to move objects down through a succession of barriers. The invention also aims at simplicity, ruggedness, economy of manufacture, and interesting and educational play possibilities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The inventive obstacle toy has a plurality of superposed compartments separated by barriers with at least one object to be moved successively down through the compartments. Each of the barriers has an upper portal for receiving the objects from above and a lower portal for discharging the objects downward, and the barriers include a manually movable shutterpositioned to block the path between the upper and lower portals. The shutters have a recess to receive the object, and are manipulatable tomove the recess between registry with the portals so that an object received through an upper portal can fallinto the recess and be'moved to drop through the lower portal. Preferably, the toy is invertable to operate in either upright orientation.

DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away, front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the inventive toy; and

FIGS. 2 5 are respective, fragmentary crosssectional views of the toy of FIG. 1 taken along respectively numbered lines of FIG. 1.-

, DETAILED DESCRIPTION Toy is a generally vertical tower enclosed in a housing wall 9 and divided into superposed compartments 11 15 separated by barriers 16 l9 and containing objects 20, preferably in the form of balls or marbles to be moved from top to bottom of toy 10. Each of the barriers l6 19 has upper and lower portals through which objects 20 can pass. For example, barrier 16 has an upper portal 21 in its upper wall 31 and a lower portal 22 in its lower wall 32. Similarly, barriers 17 19 have respective upper walls 33, 35 and 37 with upper portals 23, 25 and 27, and lower walls 34, 36 and 38 with lower portals 24, 26 and 28.

Shutters 41 44 are respectively mounted in barriers 16 19 to block the path between upper and lower portals and to be manually movable to allow objects 20 to pass through each barrier. Shutters 41 44 preferably differ from each other to require different manual movements to add to the interest of moving objects 20 downward in toy 10.

Shutter 41 is rotatably mounted in barrier 16 between chambers 11 and 12. Journals 45 support shutter 41 for rotation on a vertical axis between upper wall 31 and lower wall 32, and knurling extends outward from toy 10 to facilitate rotation of shutter 41. Shutter 41 has a through recess 46 formed as an opening or hole extending through shutter 41, and recess 46 is shaped to receive one object 20. Recess 46 is eccentric to journals to move in a circle as shutter 41 rotates. Upper portal 21 and lower portal 22 are spaced apart or offset along the arcuate path of recess 46. When shutter 41 is moved to positionrecess 46 under upper portal2l, an object 20 can be dropped through portal 21 and into recess 46 to rest against lower barrier wall 32. Then if shutter 41 is rotated to register recess 46 with lower portal 22, the object 20 in recess 46 will be carried along until it drops through lower portal 22 into chamber 12. This is repeated as desired to move all of the objects 20 through barrier 16.

Upper and lower walls 33 and 34 of barrier 17 are shaped to form a tubular chamber 47, and shutter 42 has a generally cylindrical body 48 that is freely rotatable on a horizontal axis in tube 47. A knob 49 extends outward from body 48 for manually rotating shutter 42, and body 48 has arecess 50 in the form of a walled pocket shaped to hold one object 20. Upper portal 23 in wall 33 and lower portal 24 in wall 34 are vertically aligned so that rotation of shutter 42 moves recess 50 between registry with portals 23 and 24. An object 20 can be rolled through upper portal 23 and into recess 50, and knob 49 can be turned to move recess 50 into registry with lower portal 42 to carry the trapped object 20 down to lower portal 24 where it drops down into chamber 13. This also is repeated as desired to move objects 20 down through barrier 17.

Shutter 43 is linearly reciprocal in a slot 51 between upper wall 35 and lower wall 36 of barrier 18. Shutter 43 has a through recess 52 shaped to receive one of the 5 objects 20. Upper portal 25 and lower portal 26 are offset along the line of the reciprocal motion of shutter 43 so that recess 52 can be registered with upper portal 25 to receive an object 20 dropping through portal 25, and then shutter 43 can be moved to register recess 52 with lower portal 26 to drop the trapped object 20 through portal 26 into chamber 14. Shutter 43 has a knob 53 shaped to be gripped for accomplishing such linear reciprocal motion which is repeated as desired to move objects 20 through barrier 18. I

Shutter 44 is rotatably reciprocal between upper wall 37 and lower wall 38 of barrier 19. Journals 55 support shutter 44 for such reciprocal arcuate motion, and handle 54 extends outward to be gripped and moved back and forth to accomplish such reciprocation. Shutter 44 has a through recess 56 shaped to receive one of the objects 20, and recess 56 is eccentric to move in an arc around journals 55 as shutter 44 is reciprocated. Upper portal 27 and lower portal 28 are each positioned on the path of recess 56, but are arcuately offset and preferably near the ends of the reciprocal path of shutter 44. If recess 56 of shutter 44 is registered with upper portal 27, an object 20 can fall through portal 27 into recess 56. Then if shutter 44 is moved through its arc to register recess 56 with lower portal 28, the object 20 is carried along in recess 56 until it drops through lower portal 28 into chamber 15.

An escapement timer is preferably mounted in a visible position behind wall 9 to help in timing the passage of objects 20 from top to bottom of toy 10. Housing wall 9 is preferably transparent so that the progress of objects 20 can be clearly seen, and the escapement of particles in timer 57 can be observed.

Toy 10, if constructed as illustrated, is invertable so that objects 20 can either move downward from chamber 11 to chamber 15 or toy 10 can be inverted so that objects 20 can move downward from chamber 15 to chamber 11. Such invertability is preferred so that objects 20 do not have to be removed from toy 10, and it can be operated in either upright orientation.

One object can be moved through each of the barriers l6 19 by successive manipulation of shutters 41 44, or all the objects 20 can be moved successively through one barrier by repeated operation of a single shutter, before objects are advanced through a successive barrier. These operations can be timed with timer 57, and players can race against one another for the best time in accomplishing an object-moving task. The different motions of shutters 41 44 are preferred for adding to the variability and interest of the toy.

Persons wishing to practice the invention should remember that other embodiments and variations can be adapted to particular circumstances. Even though one point of view is necessarily chosen in describing and defining the invention, this should not inhibit broader or related embodiments going beyond the semantic orientation of this application but falling within the spirit of the invention. For.example, those skilled in the art will appreciate the different materials, constructions, and shutter and object movements available within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In an obstacle toy having a plurality of superposed compartments separated by barriers and at least one object to be moved successively down through said compartments, the improvement comprising:

a. each of said barriers having generally flat and parallel upper and lower walls spaced apart by more than the vertical height of said object;

b. said upper walls having an upper portal that said object can roll into, and said lower walls having a lower portal that said object can drop down through;

c. movable shutters mounted between said upper and lower walls to block the path of said object between said upper and lower portals;

d. said shutters having a recess shaped to receive said object;

c. said shutters being configured so said toy is invert- -ible and operable in either upright orientation with either of said barrier walls serving as a floor that said objects can roll about on;

f. said shutters being arranged for moving said recess between registry with said portals so that said object received through said upper portal can fall into said recess and be moved between said barrier walls to drop through said lower portal;

g. said shutters being different from each other to require a different manual shutter movement at each barrier; and

h. said shutters having manually grippable extensions shaped to facilitate the respective shutter movement.

2. The toy of claim 1 wherein one of said shutters is linearly reciprocal and has a through recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are offset along the line of movement of said recess.

3. The toy of claim 1 wherein one of said shutters is rotatable on a vertical axis and has an eccentric, through recess movable between [a pair of said upper and lower portals that are offset along the arc of said recess rotation.

4. The toy of claim 1 wherein one of said shutters is rotatably reciprocal and has an eccentric, through recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are offset along the arc of said recess movement.

5. The toy of claim 1 wherein one of said shutters is rotatable on a horizontal axis and has a pocket recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are vertically aligned.

6. The toy of claim 5 wherein one of said shutters is rotatably reciprocal and has an eccentric, through recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are offset along the rotatably reciprocal arc of said recess.

7. The toy of claim 6 wherein one of said shutters is rotatable on a vertical axis and has an eccentric, through recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are offset along the circle of rotation of said recess.

8. The toy of claim 7 wherein one of said shutters is linearly reciprocal and has a through recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are offset along the line of movement of said recess.

9. The toy of claim 8 including an invertible escapement timer.

10. The toy of claim 1 including an invertible escapement timer. 

1. In an obstacle toy having a plurality of superposed compartments separated by barriers and at least one object to be moved successively down through said compartments, the improvement comprising: a. each of said barriers having generally flat and parallel upper and lower walls spaced apart by more than the vertical height of said object; b. said upper walls having an upper portal that said object can roll into, and said lower walls having a lower portal that said object can drop down through; c. movable shutters mounted between said upper and lower walls to block the path of said object between said upper and lower portals; d. said shutters having a recess shaped to receive said object; e. said shutters being configured so said toy is invertible and operable in either upright orientation with either of said barrier walls serving as a floor that said objects can roll about on; f. said shutters being arranged for moving said recess between registry with said portals so that said object received through said upper portal can fall into said recess and be moved between said barrier walls to drop through said lower portal; g. said shutters being different from each other to require a different manual shutter movement at each barrier; and h. said shutters having manually grippable extensions shaped to facilitate the respective shutter movement.
 2. The toy of claim 1 wherein one of said shutters is linearly reciprocal and has a through recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are offset along the line of movement of said recess.
 3. The toy of claim 1 wherein one of said shutters is rotatable on a vertical axis and has an eccentric, through recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are offset along the arc of said recess rotation.
 4. The toy of claim 1 wherein one of said shutters is rotatably reciprocal and has an eccentric, through recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are offset along the arc of said recess movement.
 5. The toy of claim 1 wherein one of said shutters is rotatable on a horizontal axis and has a pocket recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are vertically aligned.
 6. The toy of claim 5 wherein one of said shutters is rotatably reciprocal and has an eccentric, through recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are offset along the rotatably reciprocal arc of said recess.
 7. The toy of claim 6 wherein one of said shutters is rotatable on a vertical axis and has an eccentric, through recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are offset along the circle of rotation of said recess.
 8. The toy of claim 7 wherein one of said shutters is linearly reciprocal and has a through recess movable between a pair of said upper and lower portals that are offset along the line of movement of said recess.
 9. The toy of claim 8 including an invertible escapement timer.
 10. The Toy of claim 1 including an invertible escapement timer. 